Outside

It didn't look this good for long

Externally, the boat was in a right old state. We had to belt-sand off about eight layers of flaking paint from the roof (thanks Adam!) and I had lot lots of rust in the front well deck and engine bilge to deal with.

I opted for two coats Hammerite smooth metal paint. This gives a tough but not terribly smooth finish but it's tough and does not require a primer. It's a huge area and I got through about three gallons of paint.

One not particularly pleasant job was cleaning out the engine compartment and painting it. It looked great afterwards but now it's filthy again. This is the problem with cruiser type rear decks.

Proof my insulation works - it's 30° inside

TIP: Cutting holes in steel is not difficult. Use a good quality hole saw and drill, or for the larger ones a jigsaw with a fresh steel blade. Cut really slowly and use loads of molybdenum cutting paste.

I spent a long time chasing window leaks. I have the ordinary metal framed hopper windows often fitted to narrowboats, and once they get old the rubber cracks and they leak everywhere. The answer is to trim off as much rubber as you can with a sharp knife, clean the area well and mask off the glass and frame. Apply some marine quality sealant (eg. Sikaflex) and run your finger firmly around the join. Do the whole window, not just the bits you think are leaking

Rock on!

I fitted a tunnel light, FM aerial and a huge pair of lorry air horns at the front. These are great for putting the fear of god into rowing eights.

The final touch was the sign writing. I did this by enlarging the Iron Maiden logo on the computer, printing it out and laminating each page. This is cut out with a scalpel to make the template. Use Spraymount on the back, stick it on and spray away.

Hull blacking

The experience of having the boat lifted and blacked was a stressful one.

Having your home dangled on a crane was a nerve-wracking experience.

The nearest boatyard, Pope's Corner, is in the middle of absolutely nowhere and the owner is not universally liked. He is what you would call 'hard work'. The weather was not on our side, and we kept finding more problems.

My friend Jeff was also having his boat done, and needed to change prop too, all while we were both trying to work full time.

Eventually we had both boats lifted, jet washed and blacked twice. I had four new 2.5kg anodes welded on, and also changed the stern gland packing. This takes 1/8 inch packing, which you can't find anywhere.

On the way home, Jeff broke down immediately when his entire prop assembly got pushed into the hull and the chain fell off. I had to tow him the whole way. I lost the water and overheated, and we got stuck in Bottisham lock.

Since this experience I haven't been further than the water tap.

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